Overexposure to the sun and other toxic free radical sources and irritants induces skin damage, resulting in a variety of disfiguring skin conditions. Among these skin conditions, wrinkles and fine lines are caused by sun damage and aging. Wrinkles of the skin are either deep furrows and creases or fine lines. Wrinkles can occur on any part of the body, but especially where sun exposure is greatest, such as on the face, neck, forearms and hands.
Acne is a blemishing skin condition displayed as pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, skin cysts and other blemishes in areas which are concentrated with a preponderance of skin oils, such as on the face, chest or back. If untreated, acne can result in deep surface scarring irregularities.
The aforementioned skin conditions are typically treated by topical application of salicylic acid or alpha hydroxy acids, either alone or in combination with drying agents such as benzoyl peroxide. In the case of acute acne, the treatment regimen includes oral ingestion of antibiotics.
Acne rosacea is a specialized skin condition causing persistent redness over the forehead, chin, cheeks and nose. Acne rosacea is treated with anti-inflammatories, such as metronitizole USP, such as METROGEL® or NORITATE®.
Furthermore, melasma is a skin condition where the skin is discretely spotted with excessive hyper-pigmentation in selected areas of the skin, resulting in prominent blotches on the skin.
Heretofore, it has been difficult to treat these skin conditions with existing treatment regimens. Therefore, there is a long felt need to provide a tolerable yet effective treatment for the aforementioned skin abnormalities. In Applicant's issued U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,843,411 and 6,110,477, it has been shown that anti-oxidants such as ascorbic acid are effective for treating certain conditions, but ascorbic acid is inherently unstable and needs to be stabilized before its anti-oxidant proportion can be effectively utilized. Therefore, there is a need for a stable anti-oxidant for treating certain skin conditions.
Certain plants such as green tea, are composed of a high content of polyphenols, which are bioflavonoids that have been shown to have anti-oxidant properties. Green tea contains specific polyphenols that are commonly known as catechins, which possess highly potent antioxidant characteristics. The most noted preventive catechin in green tea polyphenols is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Other catechins found in green tea are epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin 3-gallate (ECG) and epicatechin (EC).
It has been demonstrated in scientific literature that polyphenols, such as from green tea, are antioxidants, with anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic properties, as noted in Archives of Dermatology 2000; 136:989-994. Research has shown that green tea, especially its component epigallocatechin gallate, can block Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) light ray induced leukocyte infiltration in mouse and human skin, as noted in Carcinogenesis 1999, 2117-2124, and in Nutrition and Cancer 1996, 26(3); 325-335.
However it is not known to provide a topical composition for treatment of fine lines and wrinkles, acne rosacea, surface irregularities of the skin and melasma hyper-pigmentation of the skin, wherein the composition includes green tea extract and its polyphenol components, such as, for example, catechins.